Release Deblina Chakraborty, a committed social activist entrapped in UAPA

We are deeply concerned about the dreadful incidents of barbarous atrocities by the West Bengal government upon the peaceful democratic protest movements of various mass organisations, civil rights groups and individuals opposing the forcible eviction of Nonadanga slum-dwellers in the name of ‘development’ and ‘beautification’ of Kolkata followed by malicious arrests of the social activists and common people and their continued detention and a heinous attempt to impose the draconian act UAPA on Deblina Chakraborty, a committed social activist and people’s leader, implicating her in cooked-up charges. Her associate Abhijnan Sarkar — a research scholar of Jadavpur University and Chief Editor of the magazine 'Towards a New Dawn', had also been entangled in two additional forged cases of ‘sedition’ and he was also in incarceration and on 19 July, 2012 Abhijnan finally got bail after 101 days of imprisonment accused with fabricated charges.

On 8th April 2012, a huge contingent of police arrested 69 demonstrators from the Ruby Hospital crossing of EM Bypass of East Kolkata when they had been protesting against the violent demolition of the Nonadanga slums and forcible eviction of hundreds of populace of that colony on March 30th. All those protesters illegitimately apprehended including women and kids were put in the central lock-Up of the Kolkata police headquarter at Lalbazar for nine hours and cases under section 151 CrPc were slapped on them. In late evening, all the captives were released on PR bond except seven civil rights activists. Those activists kept in confinement were Deblina Chakraborty, Debjani Ghosh, Abhijnan Sarkar, Prof. (Dr.) Partho Sarathi Ray, Dr. Siddhartha Gupta, Samik Chakraborty and Manas Chatterjee. They were produced in the ACJM court of Alipore next day (9 April) and all of them were remanded to police custody till 12th April. They had falsely been charged with a number of stringent non-bailable criminal cases made-up by the police under Sections 141 (unlawful assembly), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common objective of disruption), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force on public servant) of Indian Penal Code.

On 12th April, Deblina and all other detainees were sent to jail custody till 26th April after being produced in the court. Surprisingly, in the evening when the defense lawyers had left or were about to leave, the CID put up papers in a secretive manner for the police remand of Deblina Chakraborty in three additional cases—two of which are old cases related to “sedition and waging a war against the state” and allegedly connected with incidents that supposedly took place in Nandigram and Bishnupur during the tenure of the former Left Front government. Furthermore, she was tagged in an old murder case under UAPA. The magistrate granted the plea without listening to the response from the side of lawyers who stood by the accused. Deblina was taken to Bhabani Bhawan for interrogation and she will be remanded to CID custody till 21st April. The other six captives were sent to Alipore Central Jail.

Deblina was a student of the International Relations Department of Jadavpur University. She left her studies to carry on democratic movements and stood by the side of the people. She was devotedly associated with the Singur Anti-land grab movement that had prepared the ground for Mamata Banerjee to come to power. When the people of Nanigram raised their voices against the formation of SEZs and Chemical hubs under the notorious Salem industrial group, she went there and took part in the people’s heroic struggle launched by the Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) against displacement from their land and habitats and was also instrumental in forming the ‘Matangini Mahila Samity’ (MMS). The MMS was a women’s forum that drew its name from the name of Matangini Hazra (the great heroine of the Quit India Movement and was shot down by the British armed forces). It fought against patriarchy, against consumption of liquor, against CPI(M) ruffians (harmads), and was associated with the day-to-day struggles against all onslaughts carried out by the gang of Lakshman Seth-Binoy Konar-Sushanta Ghosh-Ashok Pattanayak-Tapan-Sukur-Naba Samanta during the previous regime. In this land struggle, the TMC, Congress, CPI, SUCI and other political forces also played their part within the BUPC.

The police under the previous Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led left-front regime issued threats to arrest Deblina under the UAPA, but protests from different quarters as also hunger strikes started by her and other activists at College Square thwarted such attempts. The new government under Mamata Banerjee — indubitably more brutal and vindictive-- picked up the torn shoes left by her predecessor and completed the process by booking her under this draconian act.

After coming to power, Mamata Banerjee turned her heat against the ongoing peoples’ movements and initiated a slander and intimidation campaign by denouncing the ‘Matangini Mahila Samity’ as a ‘satanic brigade’ to gag democratic dissent and protest menacingly and the police as usual condemned Deblina as a ‘Maoist’ who could be detained, tortured, humiliated and made a prisoner at will.

Deblina had been with the people’s movement for quite some years, functioning openly and participating in various mass movements that took place from time to time. She was never arrested earlier. Now she has been picked up during her participation in the Nonadanga anti-displacement movement and tagged in that earlier case for which charge-sheets had already been submitted.

Deblina is a dedicated social activist who always fights for justice to the best of her ability and stands by the side of the oppressed people in their struggles for rights and dignity. Such a person has now been entrapped under the UAPA in a most conspiringly and cowardly manner. We are quite apprehensive that the intelligence officials would subject Deblina to brutal mental and physical torture in police custody and send her to prison to languish there for as many years as possible. Should we allow such injustice to be done by this vindictive and cruel chief minister of West Bengal? Deblina started a hunger strike to protest against the unjust incarceration and slapping of UAPA on her.

At this juncture, we appeal to all justice-loving and freedom-loving people of the country to condemn and raise their voices of protest against the despotic police action subverting the law and illegitimate arrests of all the social activists and a heinous attempt to impose the draconian act UAPA on Deblina Chakraborty on cooked-up charges.

On 17th April, we started this online signature campaign demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Deblina Chakraborty and other six arrestees who were fighting in support of the poor dispossessed people’s struggle at Nonadanga for their proper rehabilitation.

Later on, all seven activists were released on bail after a huge uproar over their arrests, except Deblina Chakraborty and Abhijnan Sarkar even if they had also been granted bail in Tiljala PS case (case no. 103 dated 4 April 2012). Deplorably these two social activists were languishing in Haldia Sub Jail as the CID tagged them with some additional old cases allegedly related to “sedition and waging war against the state” including a two-year-old murder case under the draconian UAPA against Deblina.

Meanwhile, on 28th April, the police and KMDA again unleashed a fresh violence on the dispossessed slum dwellers of Nonadanga. 5 women and 6 male evictees of Nonadanga were arrested and a host of stern sections of the Indian Penal Code, three of which are non-bailable, along with an act that pertains to the destruction of public property had been foisted on them, while they were resisting evil attempts by the KMDA to construct a fenced enclosure around the grabbed land. Earlier, the police detained 14 persons including 7 women and a one-year-old baby. Late in the evening two women with the child were released, except eleven slum dwellers, who were booked for illegal assembly, rioting armed with deadly weapon, assaulting police and damaging public property. According to media reports, the arrested persons were badly treated in the police lockup. They were not given food in the lock-up and four of them fell ailing.

On 29th April afternoon, after production before the ACJM court of Alipore, they were remanded to police custody for 5 days. During hearing, defense counsel Tamal Mukherjee pleaded that no injury report had been produced. He argued, "Then how did the cops claim that they were assaulted by the slum dwellers". (Ref: Times of India, dated 30 April 2012)

However, on 3rd May, in a judgment at Alipore ACJM Court, those eleven captives were released on bail of Rs. 5,000 per head. During the hearing, public prosecutor Tapan saha strongly opposed the bail petition claiming that the arrested activists have close connections with the 'Maoists' who have been inciting the slum dwellers at Nonadanga to resistance. He also alleged that the arrested protesters had stacked arms and ammunitions at Nonadanga for an insurgency against the state. But the additional chief judicial magistrate Fatikchandra Mondal overruled the state counsel’s objection and refuting such an absurd allegation against the poor slum dwellers, the magistrate asked him, “Is the police seeing Ghosts of the Maoists in all circumstances?” (Ref: Anandabazar Patrika, 4 May, 2012)

On 20 June 2012, about 200 residents of Nonadanga started a peaceful roadside demonstration in the Esplanade area of Kolkata demanding proper rehabilitation for the evicted slum-dwellers. Police carried out a massive lathicharge on the ‘dharna’ and several persons were injured and had to be admitted to MedicalCollege for treatment. While negotiations were going on about when the concerned minister could give an appointment to hear about the grievances, police started picking up certain selected activists at around 8 pm and then brutally lathicharged to disperse the rest.

33 protestors were arrested including Amitabha Bhattacharya (the Chairman of the Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee) and Samik Chakraborty, who was arrested earlier with Deblina and others. On 21st of June the detainees were produced at the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kolkata, where they were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to violation of public order. However, during the hearing, the government lawyer made the oral argument that the detainees had amassed a lot of arms and were preparing for an armed rebellion. The trumped up charges relating to amassing of arms and ammunition were leveled against them in order to convince the court that they were actually very dangerous people and the success of this argument was apparent in the detainees being remanded to police custody till 30 June. Later on, all anti-eviction activists were released on bail.

In the latest developments, on 19 July, 2012, Abhijnan Sarkar finally got bail after 101 days of imprisonment accused with forged cases. Police could not produce iota of evidence and any chargesheet against Abhijnan.

We welcome the granting of bail, albeit in a staggered manner, to Abhijnan and other activists of Nonadanga movement, but Deblina Chakraborty continue behind bars and the concocted cases slapped against Deblina and all other activists are still in place. Therefore, we will continue our online petition campaign with our demand of the unconditional and immediate release of Deblina and the speedy acquittal of all the activists.

Please demand in the strongest possible terms the immediate and unconditional release of Deblina Chakraborty with annulment of all the outlandish set of charges fabricated against all protestors and mass activists for raising their voices of protest against slum demolition and forceful eviction at Nonadanga seeking their suitable rehabilitation.

Please go through the petition and sign, and circulate it among your friends and colleagues as widely as possible.

Please watch a video of ‘Star Ananda’ TV channel showing the police violence on the slum dwellers while they tried to resist heinous attempts by the KMDA to create a walled enclosure around their land:

For detailed coverage and chronological reports on Nonadanga Anti-eviction struggle please visit the following website of ‘Sanhati Collective’ http://sanhati.com/articles/4853/

Letter to

The Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission

I just signed the following petition addressed to: The Honourable Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission.-------------------------------------------------------------------Release Deblina Chakraborty, a committed social activist entrapped in the draconian act UAPA immediately and unconditionally

Drop the forged charges against all activists arrested for protesting against Nonadanga evictions

Respected Sir,We want to draw your kind attention to the dreadful incidents of barbarous atrocities by the West Bengal government upon the peaceful democratic protest movements of various mass organisations, civil rights groups and individuals opposing the banishment of poor slum dwellers in the name of ‘development’ and ‘beautification’ of Kolkata and subsequent malicious arrests of the social activists and common people.

On 8th April 2012, a huge contingent of police arrested 69 demonstrators from the Ruby Hospital crossing of EM Bypass of East Kolkata when they had been protesting against the violent demolition of the Nonadanga slums on March 30th and forcible eviction of hundreds of populace of that colony, many of whom were compelled to migrate and set up their abodes in that locality after the cyclone ‘Aila’ disaster in Sundarban. Among the protesters were those who fell victims to this aggressive eviction drive without any rehabilitation measures instigated by the Mamata Banerjee-led government, as well as some civil society activists belonging to different democratic organizations, who thought it just to stand by the side of the victims and join their anti-eviction struggle seeking apposite rehabilitation and adequate compensation.

All those dissenters illegitimately apprehended including women and kids (even a nine-year-old girl child, Manika Kumari) were put in the central lock-Up of the Kolkata police headquarter at Lalbazar for nine hours and cases under section 151 CrPc (considered as arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) were slapped on them.

In late evening, all the captives were released on PR bond except seven civil rights activists. Those activists kept in confinement were Deblina Chakraborty, Debjani Ghosh, Abhijnan Sarkar—a Research Scholar of Jadavpur University, Prof. (Dr.) Partho Sarathi Ray, Dr. Siddhartha Gupta, Samik Chakraborty and Manas Chatterjee. They were produced in the ACJM court of Alipore next day (9 April) and all of them were remanded to police custody till 12th April.

They had falsely been charged with a number of stringent non-bailable criminal cases made-up by the police under Sections 141 (unlawful assembly), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common objective of disruption), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force on public servant) of Indian Penal Code. Surprisingly, all these concocted allegations, as per police complaint, were charged against them in connection with a previous case registered at Tiljala police station (Tiljala PS case no. 103 dated 4 April 2012).

In this matter, we want to bring to your notice what actually happened on 4th April. Contrary to the police statement, we had witnessed the evictees of Nonadanga colony including children and women ruthlessly beaten up by a large police force accompanying a group of hoodlums (supposedly TMC party cadres who were without police uniforms and explicitly captured by television cameramen), while they peacefully assembled at Ruby junction to organize a protest rally demanding their resettlement. Mrs. Rita Patra, a twenty-one year old pregnant woman and a two-and-half year old child, Joy Paswan were severely injured with 10 other persons in the brutal lathi-charge.

On 12th April, Deblina and all other detainees were sent to jail custody till 26th April after being produced in the court. The state government and a section of pro-government media and intellectuals branded the leaders of anti-eviction movement ‘outsiders’ and alleged that the arrested leaders were indulging in ‘Maoist activities’ at Nonadanga and had stockpiled arms and ammunition in the area. Yet this was not enough. Unimaginably, in the evening when the defense lawyers had left or were about to leave, the CID put up papers in a secretive manner for the police remand of Deblina Chakraborty in three additional cases—two of which are old cases related to “sedition and waging a war against the state” and allegedly connected with incidents that supposedly took place in Nandigram and Bishnupur during the tenure of the former Left Front government. Furthermore, she was tagged in an old murder case (Nandigram PS case number 184/2009) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The acting additional CJM Ms. Swapna Ray granted the plea without listening to the response from the side of lawyers who stood by the accused. The magistrate gave her orders that Deblina would have to be produced in the Haldia court on 20th April in connection with Nandigram cases. Abhijnan Sarkar, a research scholar of Jadavpur University, has also been entangled in the two Nandigram cases and directed be produced in court on the same day. When it became known, there were protests from the side of other prisoners who took the stand that Deblina should not be taken for police remand alleging that her fundamental right to defend herself was being breached. They refused to leave the court lock-up for jail unless all seven were taken together. It continued for some time until Deblina was forcibly taken away by the CID in a police car to Bhabani Bhawan for interrogation and she will be remanded to CID custody till 21st April. The other six captives were sent to Alipore Central Jail. The defense lawyers Tamal Mukherjee, Shankar Mukherjee and Subhasish Roy bore holes in the police claim. In a press statement Tamal Mukherjee said: "When the first arrests were made in the Nonadanga eviction case on April 4, the court had granted bail. These seven names didn't figure in the original FIR. Suddenly on April 9, the seven were shown as arrested in the same case. Police now claim they had arms and ammunition. The court gave those three days to unearth evidence but today, police could only show that seven bricks were recovered." (Source: Times of India, dated 13 April 2012)

The story behind the Nandigram case is this. According to the police, one letter was allegedly written by one ‘Debu’ to one Madhusudan Mandal, an alleged Maoist leader (now in jail) some years ago during the previous regime when the Nandigram movement was on. The police, without furnishing any clinching evidence, alleged that this ‘Debu’ was none other than Deblina Chakraborty. One wonders why a person allegedly having involvement with some underground organization should use one’s own nickname. Should the use of this name, if at all, itself not mean that this so-called ‘Debu’ could only be someone else and not this Deblina Chakraborty? Deblina had been with the people’s movement for quite some years, functioning openly and participating in various mass movements that took place from time to time. She was never arrested earlier. Now she has been picked up during her participation in the Nonadanga anti-displacement movement and tagged in that earlier case for which charge-sheets had already been submitted and which did not mention her name. The fact is that the police under the previous Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led left-front regime issued threats to arrest her under the UAPA, but protests from different quarters as also hunger strikes started by her and other activists at College Square thwarted such attempts. The new government under Mamata Banerjee — indubitably more brutal and vindictive-- picked up the torn shoes left by her predecessor and completed the process by booking her under this draconian act.

Who is this Deblina Chakraborty, whom Mamata Banerjee is unable to face politically and whom she has now sent to prison? Deblina was a student of the International Relations Department of Jadavpur University. She left her studies to carry on democratic movements and stood by the side of the people to the best of her ability. She was devotedly associated with the Singur Anti-land grab movement that had prepared the ground for Mamata Banerjee to come to power. When the people of Nanigram raised their voices against the formation of SEZs and Chemical hubs under the notorious Salem industrial group, she went there and took part in the people’s heroic struggle launched by the 'Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee' (BUPC - Resistance Committee Against Displacement from Land) against displacement from their land and habitats and was also instrumental in forming the ‘Matangini Mahila Samity’ (MMS). The MMS was a women’s forum that drew its name from the name of Matangini Hazra (the great heroine of the Quit India Movement and was shot down by the British armed forces). It fought against patriarchy, against consumption of liquor, against CPI(M) ruffians (harmads), and was associated with the day-to-day struggles against all onslaughts carried out by the gang of Lakshman Seth-Binoy Konar-Sushanta Ghosh-Ashok Pattanayak-Tapan-Sukur-Naba Samanta during the previous regime. In this land struggle, the TMC, Congress, CPI, SUCI and other political forces also played their part within the BUPC.

After coming to power, Mamata Banerjee went against her pre-poll promises and aggressively started to snatch common people’s lands in the name of ‘development’ ousting poor marginal people from their habitats to serve the interest of the rich capitalists along the line pursued by the former CPI (M)-led government. Mamata turned her heat against her former ally who opposed her evil intentions of handing over the common land to the big corporate land sharks. She initiated a slander and intimidation campaign by denouncing the ‘Matangini Mahila Samity’ as a ‘satanic brigade’ to gag democratic dissent and protest menacingly and the police as usual condemned Deblina as a ‘Maoist’ who could be detained, tortured, humiliated and made a prisoner at will.

Deblina is a dedicated social activist who always fights for justice to the best of her ability and stands by the side of the oppressed people in their struggles for rights and dignity. Such a person has now been charged under the UAPA in a most conspiringly and cowardly manner. We are quite apprehensive that the intelligence officials would subject Deblina to brutal mental and physical torture in police custody and send her to prison to languish there for as many years as possible. Should we allow such injustice to be done by this vindictive and cruel chief minister of West Bengal? Deblina started a hunger strike to protest against the unjust incarceration and slapping of UAPA on her.

At this juncture, we are terribly shocked and dismayed at the odious fascist repression perpetrated by the West Bengal government upon democratic mass movements and freedom of expression blatantly violating the fundamental constitutional rights of the common citizens to pronounce their protest against injustices.

We strongly condemn and protest against the despotic police action subverting the law and unlawful arrests of all the anti-eviction activists and their continued detention and a heinous attempt to impose the draconian act UAPA on Deblina Chakraborty implicating her in cooked-up charges.

On 17th April, we started this online signature campaign demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Deblina Chakraborty and other six arrestees who were fighting in support of the poor dispossessed people’s struggle at Nonadanga for their proper rehabilitation.

Later on, all seven activists were released on bail after a huge uproar over their arrests, except Deblina Chakraborty and Abhijnan Sarkar even if they had also been granted bail in Tiljala PS case (case no. 103 dated 4 April 2012). Deplorably these two social activists were languishing in Haldia Sub Jail as the CID tagged them with some additional old cases allegedly related to “sedition and waging war against the state” including a two-year-old murder case under the draconian UAPA against Deblina.

On 28th April, the police and KMDA again unleashed a fresh violence on the dispossessed slum dwellers of Nonadanga. 5 women and 6 male evictees of Nonadanga were arrested and a host of stern sections of the Indian Penal Code, three of which are non-bailable, along with an act that pertains to the destruction of public property had been foisted on them, while they were resisting evil attempts by the KMDA to construct a fenced enclosure around the grabbed land. Earlier, the police detained 14 persons including 7 women and a one-year-old baby, of whom 11 continue to remain in police custody. However, on 3rd May, the eleven protesters including five women were released on bail granted by the Alipore Court.

On 20 June 2012, about 200 residents of Nonadanga started a peaceful roadside demonstration in the Esplanade area of Kolkata demanding proper rehabilitation for the evicted slum-dwellers. Police carried out a massive lathicharge on the ‘dharna’ and several persons had to be admitted to Medical College for treatment. While negotiations were going on about when the concerned minister could give an appointment to hear about the grievances, police started picking up certain selected activists at around 8 pm and then brutally lathicharged to disperse the rest.

33 protestors were arrested including Amitabha Bhattacharya (the chairman of the Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee) and Samik Chakraborty. On 21st of June the detainees were produced at the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kolkata, where they were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to violation of public order. However, during the hearing, the government lawyer made the oral argument that the detainees had amassed a lot of arms and were preparing for an armed rebellion. The trumped up charges relating to amassing of arms and ammunition were leveled against them in order to convince the court that they were actually very dangerous people and the success of this argument was apparent in the detainees being remanded to police custody till 30 June. Later on, all anti-eviction activists were released on bail.

In the latest developments, on 19 July, 2012, Abhijnan Sarkar finally got bail after 101 days of imprisonment accused with forged cases. Police could not produce iota of evidence and any chargesheet against Abhijnan.

We welcome the granting of bail, albeit in a staggered manner, to Abhijnan and other activists of Nonadanga movement, but Deblina Chakraborty continues behind bars and the concocted cases slapped against Deblina and all other activists are still in place. Therefore, we will continue our online petition campaign with our demand of the unconditional and immediate release of Deblina and other activists and the speedy acquittal of all the activists.

We are furnishing below a brief chronicle of the incidents for your kind perusal.

On 17 April, 2012 Dr. Partho Sarathi Ray was granted bail after ten days in jail custody and the next day he was released from Alipore Central Jail of Kolkata. The illegal arrest of Dr. Ray was intensely condemned by thousands of peers, students, scientists, intellectuals and human rights activists from across the world including celebrated linguist, philosopher and historian Noam Chomsky. Eventually the escalating pressure from different sectors in India and abroad compelled the government not to oppose Dr. Ray's bail petition. But the bail pleas of six other activists arrested with him on April 8 were denied.

On 21 April, 2012, during the case hearing of Deblina and Abhijnan, there was high drama at the Alipore ACJM court. These two activists had earlier been separated from the rest of the seven after tagging them with old cases from Nandigram in East Midnapore and Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas which are under the CID investigation. Deblina faced long interrogation by the CID officers. On 21st April, similar to the previous hearing, they were not produced in the open court but taken straight to the magistrate’s chamber from where they were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. Their lawyer, Subhashis Roy, raised strong objections to the denial of hearing in the open court. An altercation followed and in an unprecedented step, the defense counsel himself was detained at the court on the allegation that he had been trying to take pictures inside the courtroom with his cell phone. He was, however, released at night when no substantial evidence of photography was found against him.

On 23 April, 2012, the Alipore court granted bail to four activists-- Debjani Ghosh, Samik Chakraborty, Siddhartha Gupta and Manas Chatterjee, as the upsurge of the protest movement and solidarity campaign in support of the apprehended activists enforced the government to free them. But regrettably the bail petitions of the remaining two prisoners, Deblina and Abhijnan were rejected once more and they were produced in Haldia court of East Midnapore district, for some other concocted cases related to the Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement during the former left-front regime. The state counsel alleged that they had links with the ‘Maoists’ in Nandigram though the CID failed to produce any concrete evidence in favour of their allegation. The additional chief judicial magistrate again remanded them to police custody for two days.

On 25 April, 2012, in the next hearing, the magistrate of Haldia court sent Deblina Chakraborty to 12 days of judicial custody along with her associate Abhijnan. Though they were granted bail on 26th April at the Alipore court in connection with the Nonadanga agitation case of Tiljala PS, they are still in incarceration according to the Haldia court order in three other cases for alleged ‘Maoist links’. The CID has not been able to establish any tangible evidence of their alleged involvements with the 'Maoists'.

On 28 April, 2012, the Kolkata police again cracked down on the evicted slum dwellers of Nonadanga. The evictees had partially rebuilt some of the shanties and were living there. KMDA had constructed a fence with bamboos and corrugated tin sheets around the entire plot and on 28th April morning, the KMDA officials came to block the entry and exit passages of the boundary wall, effectively confining the residents inside. The evictees resisted such inhuman attempts by the KMDA to fence off and broke down that blocked part. The police viciously attacked the agitators and detained 14 people including 7 women. They were taken to Lalbazar central lock-up and a one-year-old infant was also locked up with his mother. Late in the evening two women with the child were released, except eleven slum dwellers, who were booked for illegal assembly, rioting armed with deadly weapon, assaulting police and damaging public property. According to media reports, the arrested persons were badly treated in the police lockup. They were not given food in the lock-up and four of them fell ailing. The arrestees were: 1) Pratima Baidya, 2) Minati Sardar 3) Saraswati Dasi 4) Ranjita Baidya 5) Pratima Beiz 6) Bapi Mondal 7) Manindra Mondal 8) Purna Mondal 9) Ujjwal Saha 10) Sona Bar and 11) Rabin Haldar. They had falsely been charged under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and three PDPP (Prevention of Damage to Public Property) Act, in Tiljala PS Case No.133 dated 28.4.2012. On 29th April afternoon, after production before the ACJM court of Alipore, they were remanded to police custody for 5 days. During hearing, defense counsel Tamal Mukherjee pleaded that no injury report had been produced. He argued, "Then how did the cops claim that they were assaulted by the slum dwellers". (Ref: Times of India, dated 30 April 2012)

On 3rd May, in a judgment at Alipore ACJM Court, those eleven captives were released on bail granted on the condition of payment of Rs 5,000 per person as the bail amount. During the hearing, public prosecutor Tapan saha strongly opposed the bail petition filed by the defense lawyer claiming that the arrested activists have close connections with the Maoists who have been inciting the slum dwellers at Nonadanga to resistance. He also alleged that the arrested protesters had stacked arms and ammunitions at Nonadanga for an insurgency against the state. But the additional chief judicial magistrate Fatikchandra Mondal overruled the state counsel’s objection and refuting such an absurd allegation against the poor slum dwellers, the magistrate asked him, “Is the police seeing Ghosts of the Maoists in all circumstances?” (Ref: Anandabazar Patrika, 4 May, 2012)

On 7th May, Deblina and Abhijnan were produced before the Haldia court, where the CID counsel Debdulal Giri appealed to the judge to incriminate Deblina with the Nandigram murder case under UAPA and pleaded to sustain their judicial custody. The additional chief judicial magistrate Ms. Sarbani Mallick Chattopadhyay again sent them to 14-day jail custody. (Ref: Anandabazar Patrika, 8 May, 2012)

Finally on 19 July, 2012, Abhijnan Sarkar released on bail after 101 days of imprisonment accused with forged cases. Police could not produce iota of evidence and any chargesheet against Abhijnan.

Meanwhile, on 20th June 2012, about 200 residents of Nonadanga started a peaceful roadside demonstration in the Esplanade area of Kolkata demanding proper rehabilitation for the evicted slum-dwellers. Police carried out a massive lathicharge on the ‘dharna’ and several persons had to be admitted to Medical College for treatment. While negotiations were going on about when the concerned minister could give an appointment to hear about the grievances, police started picking up certain selected activists at around 8 pm and then brutally lathicharged to disperse the rest.

33 protestors were arrested including Amitabha Bhattacharya (the chairman of the Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee) and Samik Chakraborty. On 21st of June the detainees were produced at the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kolkata, where they were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to violation of public order. However, during the hearing, the government lawyer made the oral argument that the detainees had amassed a lot of arms and were preparing for an armed rebellion. The trumped up charges relating to amassing of arms and ammunition were leveled against them in order to convince the court that they were actually very dangerous people and the success of this argument was apparent in the detainees being remanded to police custody till 30 June. Later on, all activists of Nonadanga anti-eviction movement were released on bail.

In this context, we demand in the strongest possible terms the immediate and unconditional release of Deblina Chakraborty with annulment of all the outlandish set of charges fabricated against all activists for raising their voices of protest against slum demolition and forceful eviction at Nonadanga seeking their suitable rehabilitation.

We urge your kind intervention to ensure prompt acquittal of Deblina and all other activists arrested in the course of the Nonadanga people’s struggle. We would feel highly obliged if you kindly look into the matter and take immediate necessary measures from your end.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

N.B. Please refer to the following set of news reports of the ‘Times of India’, ‘The Indian Express’, ‘The Statesman’ and 'The Hindu' for a chronology of the incidents.